Dyelirium

Everyone has a favorite world renowned band/musician. You know at least one or fifty people who are into Green Day, Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, U2, Pearl Jam, Metallica – possibly even Ke$ha insert eye roll here … whatever. What about bands you wish people knew about and liked as much as you did?  I’m sure there are some bands out there you’re totally down with that when you tell your friends about them, all you receive is a blank stare or a, “Who?” This happens to me quite often.

The most recent band I have been sucked in by, via a recommendation from a reliable and serious rock fan, is 12^th Avenue. The band hails from Cape Town, South Africa.  Oooo, I almost heard you say it! Who? Where? That’s ok, because I thought the same thing. I did, however, check them out, and I have to say I was intrigued.

Before writing this, I decided to go for a drive and just listen to all three of their releases from the first song to the last in order to sit back and take it all in. I never got to a point where I had to skip halfway through a song out of disdain or boredom. This band possesses some mad listenability. The influences on the music are subtle, but definitely there – think old-school rock/metal riffs of with a modern alternative edge.

With 12^th Avenue, I found myself hitting repeat on a few of the tracks just so I could sing along with it, subjecting myself to strange looks from other drivers and various pedestrians. Don’t laugh. You know you do the same thing or some variation of it! My personal faves were “Crazy” and “Single” from their first release Crazy; “Anjee & Me” from the second release Insane; and finally “Timebomb” off the current release Sober. In my opinion, when you’ve got me wanting to sing along with your tunes, you’ve definitely succeeded in getting my attention.

I love listening to bands like Iron Maiden, The Offspring and My Chemical Romance because, vocally, they’re just so damn recognizable and fun to sing! Sorry all you death/speed/black metal freaks, but I just can’t listen to a band when the vocals actually hurt my feelings. It’s all about self-preservation when I hit mute or change the song when I’m attacked with an all-out blitzkrieg of murderous growls and screams I cannot understand or sing along with. I can appreciate acts like Slayer and Venom based on their talent because they are definitely talented, but it’s just not my bag.

In the end, there was something about it that grabbed me, held on and left me waiting for more. All I can say to the boys of 12^th Avenue is that the hooks are in – well done. Now, all I need to do find a way to get halfway around the world to catch these cats in action because I have a feeling it would definitely be worth the trip.

For more on the band and to have a listen for yourself, head on over to the following:

http://www.12thavenueband.com

http://www.twitter.com/12thavenueband

http://www.myspace.com/12thavenueband